Obesity remains a serious health problem and it is no secret that many people want to lose weight. Behavioral economists typically argue that “nudges” help individuals with various decisionmaking flaws to live longer, healthier, and better lives. In an article in the new issue of Regulation, Michael L. Marlow discusses how nudging by government differs from nudging by markets, and explains why market nudging is the more promising avenue for helping citizens to lose weight.

Two long wars, chronic deficits, the financial crisis, the costly drug war, the growth of executive power under Presidents Bush and Obama, and the revelations about NSA abuses, have given rise to a growing libertarian movement in our country – with a greater focus on individual liberty and less government power. David Boaz’s newly released The Libertarian Mind is a comprehensive guide to the history, philosophy, and growth of the libertarian movement, with incisive analyses of today’s most pressing issues and policies.

Cracking the Books

South Dakota

Note: Scores reflect the data provided on each state's education department website as of December 31, 2012. For more information, please see the Grading Criteria section.

Per Pupil Expenditures

South Dakota’s Department of Education provides more than ten years of Statistical Digest reports up to the 2011–12 school year. The reports contain total per pupil expenditure data. South Dakota provides a table that allows citizens to compare changes in state-level per pupil expenditures over time, though the figures are not adjusted for inflation and are not available at the district level.

Per Pupil Expenditures

Metric

Category

State

District

Score

Type of Per Pupil Expenditures

Total

Total

Credit

Full Credit

Full Credit

Years of Data

10+ years

10+ years

Score

10 / 10

10 / 10

20 / 20

Most Recent Year

2011-12

2011-12

Score

10 / 10

10 / 10

20 / 20

Historical Comparison

Included*

None

Score

1.5 / 2.5

0 / 2.5

1.5 / 5

Total

41.5 / 45

Total Expenditure Data

South Dakota’s Department of Education provides more than ten years of Annual Statistical Reports through the 2011–12 school year. The reports contain total expenditure data, including capital expenditures and pensions. Total salary expenditures are available at the object and summary levels and include data on employee benefits.

Total Expenditure Data

Metric

Category

State

District

Score

Total Expenditures

Object / Summary

Object / Summary

Score

4 / 4

4 / 4

8 / 8

Capital Expenditures

Included

Included

Score

2 / 2

2 / 2

4 / 4

Total Salary Data

Object / Summary with Benefits

Object / Summary with Benefits

Score

2 / 2

2/ 2

4 / 4

Pension Data

Included

Included

Score

2 / 2

2 / 2

4 / 4

Years of Data

10+ years

10+ years

Score

2.5 / 2.5

2.5 / 2.5

5 / 5

Most Recent Year

2011–12

2011–12

Score

2.5 / 2.5

2.5 / 2.5

5 / 5

Total

30 / 30

Average Salary Data

South Dakota provides more than five years of statewide average salary data for teachers, administrators, and non-teaching staff through the 2011–12 school year. District-level average salaries are available for teachers only in the School District Profiles. Data on average employee benefits are not provided.

Average Salary Data

Metric

Category

State

District

Score

Categories Covered

Teachers, administrators, and non-teaching staff

Teachers

Score

1.5 / 1.5

0.5 / 1.5

2 / 3

Employee Benefits

None

None

Score

0 / 1

0 / 1

0 / 2

Years of Data

5+ years

5+ years

Score

1.25 / 1.25

1.25 / 1.25

2.5 / 2.5

Most Recent Year

2011-12

2011-12

Score

1.25 / 1.25

1.25 / 1.25

2.5 / 2.5

Total

7 / 10

Public Accessibility

Navigation: South Dakota’s Department of Education website is easy to navigate. The homepage contains a “Finance, Grants, and Data Management” dropdown box which includes an option called “School/Student Data” that includes a link to the Statistical Digest reports.

Ease of Public Analysis: All of South Dakota’s financial data are provided in PDF format but only the four most recent years are provided in Excel spreadsheets, which limits the ability of users to analyze the earlier data.

Public Accessibility

Category

Metric

Score

Navigation

Full Credit: Very easy for a layperson to locate the desired data. All relevant data are in close proximity with a main menu that is clear and commonsensical.